(1) A state university may establish a workforce education partnership program to provide assistance to a student who is enrolled at the state university and is employed by a private employer participating in the program. The Board of Governors shall create a template for a state university to establish such workforce education partnership program. The Board of Governors shall consult with state and local workforce and economic development agencies to develop the template. The template must include all of the following:(a) The process for a private employer to participate in the program.
(b) Student eligibility criteria, including that a student be enrolled in a degree-granting program at a state university on at least a half-time basis and be a paid employee of a private employer participating in the program.
(c) The process for an eligible student to enroll in the program.
(d) Guidance and requirements for the state university and the private employer to:1. Each designate a mentor to assist participating students.
2. Create a process to make a housing stipend available to participating students.
3. Create a process to provide life management and professional skills training to participating students.
(e) The requirement that the private employer establish an educational assistance program pursuant to s. 127 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and provide tuition assistance for a student enrolled at the state university while the student works for the private employer, up to the maximum amount that the employer may exclude from the employer’s gross income under that section.
(f) The requirement that the state university work with participating students to ensure that they have applied for and are receiving the maximum amount of financial aid in the form of scholarships and grants.
(g) The requirement that the state university and the private employer seek out additional sources of funding to pay for remaining costs for participating students.
(2) The Board of Governors shall evaluate the effectiveness of workforce education partnership programs established pursuant to this section to determine whether additional training and employment programs may use the template created pursuant to subsection (1) to establish a workforce education partnership program.
(3) The Board of Governors shall adopt regulations to administer this section.
